Paul Brittain (born February 16, 1977) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his brief tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2010 to 2012.

Paul Brittain
Born (1977-02-16) February 16, 1977 (age 47)
Occupation(s)Actor, comedian
Years active2007–present
RelativesBob Newhart (uncle)[1]

Early life and education

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Brittain was born and raised in Naperville, Illinois.[2] He graduated from Naperville North High School in 1995. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where he majored in finance and Spanish,[3] graduating in 2000.

Brittain was the nephew of comedian Bob Newhart.[4]

Career

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He is a veteran performer at the iO Theater in Chicago where he trained with SNL castmate Vanessa Bayer[2] and performed as a member with numerous improv and sketch groups.[5] He has appeared on Sports Action Team.[6]

Saturday Night Live

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Brittain joined the cast of Saturday Night Live for the 36th season on September 25, 2010. His recurring characters included Lord Cecil Wyndemere (a childlike, 48-year-old lord), Goran "Funky Boy" Bogdan (a Croatian stand-up comic who punctuates his jokes with "Oooh, funky boy!"), and "Sex Ed" Vincent (a low-rent sex counselor who holds seminars in shady hotels). Brittain's celebrity impressions included Ron Paul, James Franco, and Johnny Depp. Brittain's uncle, Bob Newhart hosted SNL in its fifth (1979–1980) and 20th (1994–1995) seasons, making Brittain the second SNL cast member to be the nephew of a celebrity who hosted SNL more than once (after Jason Sudeikis, whose uncle is semi-frequent 1990s host George Wendt).[7]

Brittain exited SNL midway through his second season, making his final appearance on January 14, 2012.[8]

Recurring characters

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  • Marius, one of the French teens in "Les Jeunes de Paris"
  • Goran "Funky Boy" Bogdan, a Croatian stand-up comic
  • "Sex" Ed Vincent, a middle-aged "sex expert" who holds couples seminars
  • Lord Cecil Wyndemere, a foppish man-child who's actually 48 years old

Celebrity impressions

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Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2012 Hotel Transylvania Zombie Plumber, Hydra Head (voices)
2013 Grown Ups 2 Male Cheerleader Cameo
2015 The Night is Young Connor
2015 Sasq-Watch Nigel
2017 Killing Gunther Gabe
2023 Leo Eli's Dad, Stopwatch #2, Stopwatch #3 (voices)

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2010–2012 Saturday Night Live Himself / Various Characters Featured Member
Seasons 36 and 37
2013 Hello Ladies Paul Season 1, Episode 7: "The Wedding"
2013–2014 Trophy Wife Tevin Recurring role, 5 episodes:
Season 1, Episode 4: "The Break-Up"
Season 1, Episode 14: "Foxed Lunch"
Season 1, Episode 16: "The Wedding, Part One"
Season 1, Episode 18: "Couples Therapy"
Season 1, Episode 21: "Back to School"
2014 Kroll Show The Kid / Mateas Soto Season 2, Episode 5: "Krolling Around with Nick Klown"
Season 2, Episode 6: "Mother Daughter Sister Wife"
2014–2015 Comedy Bang! Bang! Jones Calvins / Richard Bunn Season 3, Episode 3: "Jenna Fischer Wears a Floral Blouse & Black Heels"
Season 4, Episode 28: "Randall Park Wears Brown Dress Shoes With Blue Socks"
2017 Shrink Gil Reeves Episode: "Cool Ranch"
2022 The Simpsons Brandon (voice) Episode: "From Beer to Paternity"

References

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  1. ^ "Paul Brittain on Saturday Night Live - Interview". 15 February 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d Moynihan, Rob. "SNL's Fab Four", TV Guide, March 7, 2011, Pages 44-45
  3. ^ O'Connor, Rod (15 February 2011). "Paul Brittain - Interview". TimeOut Chicago. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  4. ^ O'Connor, Rod (February 15, 2011). "Paul Brittain on Saturday Night Live-Interview". Timeout.com.
  5. ^ "NBC Media Centre - NBC'S 'SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE' PREMIERES SEPTEMBER 25 WITH SNL ALUM AMY POEHLER & CHART-TOPPING MUSICAL GUEST KATY PERRY". Nbcuniversal.presscentre.com. 2010-09-07. Archived from the original on 2012-03-11. Retrieved 2011-10-17.
  6. ^ "Paul Brittain". Just For Laughs. Archived from the original on 2010-09-02. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  7. ^ "Is Bob Newhart Returning to TV? - Today's News: Our Take". TVGuide.com. 2010-10-07. Retrieved 2011-10-17.
  8. ^ Stack, Tim (January 31, 2012). "'Saturday Night Live' scoop: Cast member Paul Brittain to leave immediately -- EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 27, 2012.
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